The Lion Turns Coats
by nyotaauhura
Summary: Leo Valdez knows he's an outsider amongst his friends. On the side of the enemy, he could be the best, the favoured, the favourite of Gaia: her most trusted lieutenant. So, he changes sides; from being the seventh wheel to infamy. Rated T for violence and swearing later on. (ON HIATUS)
1. Manipulation

**A/N: EVIL LEO, MWUHAHAHAHAHA! Inspired by a post on tumblr (as usual), this was gonna just be a one-shot, but I decided to make it a bigger, multi-chapter fic. So, here's the first chapter.**

** Song: 'Thanks for the Memories' – Fall Out Boy**

* * *

_July 14__th__._

* * *

Dirt Face was getting on Leo's nerve. She'd spent every waking hour since Percy and Annabeth fell whispering lies in Leo's ear. She wouldn't shut up. Her voice got louder when he slept, and all chances of nice, dreamless sleeps were destroyed. She plagued his dreams with visions of the _Argo II_ in flames, with Jason and Piper being felled by giants, with Hazel being sucked into the ground and suffocated there. He woke every night screaming for it to stop.

To escape from the horribly vivid dreams, courtesy of Gaia, he stayed awake for days at a time, refusing to rest and working himself to the bone. He didn't smile as often, and spoke less. Twice, he'd been so exhausted he'd passed out at dinner. The second time he'd done that he'd woken up to a face full of pizza and Piper shaking him by the shoulders.

The others shot him worried glances. And, more recently, they'd taken to staying away from him. His exhaustion would make him really crabby. Any disruptions or distractions while working and he would snap. He even yelled at Hazel, and earned himself a black eye; a gift from Hazel's creeper half-brother, Nico.

After that particular incident, he stayed mostly in the engine room or up on deck, talking with Festus. He preferred the engine room, as the noise of the engine was sometimes loud enough to drown out Gaia's annoying voice. When Leo finally met the damn woman, he was going to rip her vocal cords out himself. He'd never been so annoyed before in his life.

Yet…

Some of the poisoned words Gaia whispered rang truth. The others _did_ talk about Leo behind his back. They didn't trust him. Leo took a guess that the reason Hazel and Frank shot him so many resentful looks was because they knew he had opened that damn fortune cookie knowing he would have to sacrifice something. And that sacrifice had been Percy and Annabeth. They hated him for it.

He hated _himself_ for it.

Two weeks after the Tartarus incident, Leo found himself sitting on the floor of the engine room, leaning against the steaming, creaking, groaning old thing, fiddling with several differently sized bolts. With a lack of sleep came a lack of inspiration, so he finally chucked the bolts aside and crossed his arms over his chest. He sat alone for a long time before the door finally swung open and Piper and Jason fell through, lips locked together. The fell against the wall, fencing each other's tongue, before Piper noticed Leo sitting on the floor, glaring at the two of them, and pulled away from Jason.

"Sorry," she said, turning slightly pink. "Didn't realize this room was taken."

"Not anymore it's not," Leo muttered. "See ya."

He got to his feet and stomped out of the engine room, taking care to slam the door behind him. One other thing that got to him: he was alone. Everyone else had each other. Piper and Jason were together. Hazel and Frank were together. Nico hung around with Hazel and Frank a lot. They'd each formed their own tiny groups, and Leo was left alone. The Seventh Wheel, Nemesis had once called him. Always alone.

Leo marched to his cabin and slammed the door. Inside, he flung himself down on his bed, trying to get the image of Jason and Piper swapping spit out of his head, but it was a horribly vivid image.

_So here we are,_ Gaia laughed, _all alone again._

"Go away," Leo growled.

_Come now, Leo. I'm the only one on this gods-forsaken ship that has been nice to you._

"I wouldn't call keeping me awake for days being nice."

_You did that to yourself._

"Because you keep giving me nightmares!"

_No need to shout, Leo. Don't want to worry the other anymore, do you?_

"They aren't worrying at all."

_I guess that is true. They don't care._

"My point exactly."

_Why do you stay with them if they don't care? Why do you cause yourself grief for no reason? Leave them and join me._

"That escalated quickly."

_You should have joined me long ago, Leo Valdez. You should have joined me before you freed Hera, before you started the war._

"That wasn't me!"

_The Romans don't believe that. They'd rather have yours and everyone else on this ship's heads. Fighting on my side will secure your survival._

"Sure."

_Leo Valdez, this is a one-time offer. Refuse and I shall be forced to kill you if we ever meet. You could be my best lieutenant. Your ability to control fire could secure you a place in my new world, once your friends are dead and gone. And, who knows? Maybe I'll bring your mother back._

Leo sat bolt upright in his bed. "What?"

_Esperanza misses you dearly, Leo. She likes Elysium enough, but would rather be with you. I shall bring her back for you, Leo, but only if you join me._

Leo's palms were sweaty. Gaia had taken his mother from him as a child. The goddess had brought gorgons and eidolons out of death and placed them back into the world. Could she actually do the same with a person?

He shook his head angrily. "No. Stop it. Stop manipulating me and get off of my ship."

_Think on it wisely, Leo Valdez. You think yourself one of the seven, but you will never be recognised. Always the seventh wheel, always left out. Always overshadowed. The others will receive fame and glory, should they succeed, but you shall always just be known as the mechanic, the one who steered the ship. The one who sent his friends to Tartarus._

Leo's fists clenched, scrunching up the smooth sheets of his bed in his hands.

_Should you decide to join me, travel to Mount Vesuvius. Meet Khione there by the 18__th__ of this month, or I shall take it that you decide to oppose me rather than stand with me._

For the first time in weeks, she fell silent, and she did not trouble Leo for the rest of the night. Instead, he troubled himself.

Meeting Khione… Despite her snobby personality and her hobby of making ice statues of the people she did not like, the goddess of snow was one mighty fine girl. Meeting up with her would be quite nice, even if it was for some dreadful reason.

Leo wanted to stay with his friends. He cared about them all. He didn't want to leave them alone with his ship (which would be destroyed in a matter of seconds if Jason or Frank were at the helm). But, at the same time, he knew what Gaia had said was true. All he was good for was fixing things. Nico could summon the dead; Hazel controlled everything under the earth; Frank could turn into whatever animal he wanted; Jason ruled the skies; Piper could get anyone to anything she wanted; Coach Hedge could instil fear into the hearts of the most terrifying monsters. Leo, meanwhile, could talk to machines and fix their boo-boos. A problem with a machine? Leo was your man. Want to go into a battle head-first with a strong leader who has awesome super powers? Avoid Leo at all costs.

He should've known better than to let Gaia's words get to him like they were, but the only reason he was letting her affect him was that he knew what she said was 100% true and nothing but the truth.

He turned over in his bunk. Gaia's words about bringing his mother back were swaying him horribly. Goddess of the earth… She'd brought souls back before, yes. Who's to say she wouldn't bring his mother back?

She guaranteed his safety after it all ended. He could be safe, his mother would be alive and hey, who knows, he might even sway Khione into his favour.

As for his friends, if he could even call them that; he couldn't care less. They always left him alone anyway. Even if he was felled in battle fighting for Gaia – or even fighting for them! – they wouldn't care. They'd mourn a little, get over him, and forget him. Their world would carry on spinning. He'd be a memory. Nothing more.

Screw them all.

* * *

_July 18__th__._

* * *

He'd offered no explanation as to why he wanted to land in the Bay of Naples, right near Mount Vesuvius, other than to restock the ship's supplies and give the guys a chance to stretch their legs and take a long, romantic (ew) walk around the city. Jason and Piper were the first off the ship, disappearing into the crowd almost instantly. Nico left with Hazel and Frank – most likely to keep an eye on them – while Leo was left on the _Argo II_ with Coach Hedge, who was watching some boxing program from Britain.

Leo sat on the supports along the side of the ship, legs dangling over the edge. Strapped to his back was a black duffel bag filled with all the supplies he'd brought with him on the _Argo II._ Mount Vesuvius loomed in the distance. Khione would be waiting for Leo at the bottom, waiting to see if he would join her.

He cast one last glance back at his ship. For a moment, he just thought about what he was doing. He was abandoning his friends, his family back at Camp Half-Blood. He was joining the enemy. He'd be just like that Luke Castellan boy Annabeth had told him about once.

"Screw you guys," he growled, and leapt off the side of the ship into the sea.


	2. Initiation

**A/N: Not a good chapter but meh. At least you get one. There's not gonna be another one for a few weeks, but there will be a new chapter for 'Son of Jupiter' within the next week, so look out for that.**

**Song: 'Hear Me' – Imagine Dragons.**

* * *

_July 18__th__._

* * *

Naples was a huge city. Leo got lost no less than seven times and he was about to put his foot through a window. Finally, he just headed in the direction of the mountain, deciding that if he came up against any dead ends he was just going to climb over them. He was sick of trying to find a way around them.

Finally, he reached the foot of the volcano, one of the forges of his dad. And there stood Khione, her silky blue robes fluttering around her legs in the afternoon breeze. She was as beautiful as ever, yet Leo had slightly mellowed towards her following the events at the Wolf House six months earlier. It was strange at how they had gone from being enemies to allies in just a few months and a few whispered words.

"Leo Valdez," the goddess said in that soft yet cold voice of hers. She had not yet turned around, but could probably sense his fire powers like she had the last time.

"Hey Khione," Leo said with a grin, pushing his sweat dampened hair back from his face.

"I am surprised you came," Khione said, turning to face Leo at last. "I never expected this of you. The last time we met, you were loyal to your friends."

"Times change," Leo said with a shrug, moving to stand next to her. "The others made it clear they didn't like me, so I left them. They'll get along fine without me."

Khione grunted. She held out her pale, tiny hand to Leo. "We must go. The initiation begins within an hour."

"Initiation?"

"Just take my hand, Valdez."

Wondering what initiation Khione was talking about, he warily took her hand. Almost immediately, he was yanked off of his feet and thrown around in what felt like a blizzard for a minute until he landed face first on a cracked marble floor.

"Ow," he complained. Khione was snorting and cackling above him. A large, throaty laugh that reminded Leo of grating stones joined in with Khione. The laugh went right through him and almost made him freeze where he lay.

When he looked up, he wished he hadn't.

Standing over him was a giant. He was taller than Enceladus and Pophyrion, and looked ten times more menacing. Horrifyingly, he reminded Leo of his very own father, Hephaestus. The giant had certainly captured the blacksmith god's ugly looks. The left side of his face was squashed, and his nose reminded Leo of a squashed tomato. Burns covered the giant's face and meaty arms. He was bald and clean shaven, and wore only a torn and filthy kilt around his waist. In his enormous right hand, he carried a hammer that Coach Hedge would be jealous of.

"Leo Valdez," the giant rumbled, and Leo resisted the urge to shudder. "Son of my enemy."

"Sorry, do I know you?" Leo asked, getting to his feet and brushing imaginary dirt from his clothes. "I highly doubt it though, since yours is a face I wouldn't forget. It'd give anyone nightmares."

The giant made a deep growling noise in the back of his throat. Leo decided that if he was going to be a part of Gaia's army and that if he was to work with this guy, he was going to have to keep the jibes and comments to himself.

"Watch it, kid," the giant growled, glaring down at Leo.

"Leo, this is Mimas, the bane of Hephaestus," Khione said. The corners of her lips turned up in a smug little smile when she saw Leo blanch.

Once upon a time, when Leo had been working on the engine of the _Argo II_, Annabeth had decided to come down and annoy – oh, sorry, _educate_ – Leo on the giants. She'd told him of Mimas, who, according to the myths, was either killed by Hephaestus or Ares. Most sources apparently said it was Hephaestus who killed Mimas with molten iron. At the time, Leo had thought of Annabeth's ramblings as a distraction from trying to fix the stupid engine. He'd never thought he'd actually meet the giant.

"You're going to be working for me from now on," Mimas growled, crouching down and glaring at Leo. He jabbed one finger (which was bigger than Leo) at the terrified son of Hephaestus. "So learn some respect, or I will crush you."

"Yes sir," Leo said, giving the giant a small salute.

"Come, Valdez," Khione said, taking Leo's arm. "It's time for the initiation."

Leo still wondered what she meant by that, but, when he found out, he wished he could've joined Gaia's army in a less painful way.

The initiation took place in an ancient temple that was falling to pieces. In fact, the whole mountain they stood on was falling to pieces. It looked like an ancient Greek city that had fallen to ruin and disarray. It might've once been a beautiful city, but now it was overgrown with vines and trees, with mist hanging low over the place, making it hard to see. And there were monsters crawling all over the place. Cyclopses, harpies, centaurs and even one or two renegade gods.

Khione led Leo past them all. Most of the monsters were curled around pit fires, roasting meat and roaring loudly. Some of them sneered at Leo, who just grinned and saluted them, as he'd done with Mimas. The giant was following Leo and Khione, making the ground shake with each step.

In the centre of the ruined temple sat a large fire. Surrounding it were three more giants. One looked like an overgrown hunter, complete with blood-soaked arms, animal fur cloaks and a pure gold bow with matching arrows. Next to him stood a warrior, holding a sword in one hand and a lance in the other, a boar-shaped helmet covering his face and giving him a sneaky, evil appearance. The last giant was as tall as Mimas, but a lot thinner. From the looks of him, he was built for speed rather than bulk. He was thin and lithe, with sandals that had actual eagle wings on either side.

"Leo Valdez, meet Gration, Pelorus and Hippolytus," Mimas said, gesturing to each of the giants in turn, "My kin."

"Let us get this over with," Gration hissed, scratching at the dried animal blood on his cheek. Annabeth had once mentioned that Gration was the bane of Artemis, the hunting goddess, which explained why he had enough animal skins to give an activist a heart attack. "I have a goddess to hunt."

"And I have demigods to kill," Pelorus, bane of Ares, growled.

"Peace," Hippolytus, bane of Hermes, said, tapping his silver lance against the cracked marble floor. The sound echoed throughout the temple. "This will not take long."

"Over here," Khione said, leading Leo to the fire. Sitting in the flames was a brander in the shape of a 'G', possibly for Gaia. The metal glowed orange from the heat. Leo's stomach twisted. They weren't going to brand him, were they?

Apparently, they were. Khione took hold of the brander and lifted it out of the fire. For once, Leo was actually scared of the heat.

"Leo Valdez," Khione said, "Gaia has chosen you to be a member of her army. Should you accept this gracious offer, you shall put into the apprenticeship of Mimas, bane of your father. Any betrayal on your behalf shall be punishable by death. Do you understand?"

Leo's mouth felt thick, but he managed to say, "Yes."

"Then I welcome you to the army."

She grabbed Leo's left arm and pushed back the white sleeve of his shirt. Then, she pressed the white hot brander against the skin of his forearm.

He forced himself not to scream. It was hard, but he managed. To stop himself, he just bit on his tongue until he drew blood and the pain stopped. For the first time in his life, he understood the pain of burning, and would never wonder why people made such a big deal over it. When he dared to look at his arm, he almost fainted. The 'G' shaped burn in his arm was a patch of blistering skin that reminded Leo of an acid burn.

Khione was smiling. Clearly, she enjoyed his pain.

"Now," she said, "To your duties."

Her body turned to snow, from the feet upwards. The snow swirled and joined the mist that clung to the top of the mountain. Gration, Pelorus and Hippolytus moved away one by one, off to do their own duties. Mimas grinned down at Leo, and he decided he wasn't going to have a good time with the giant.

"Come with me," Mimas said, and, of course, Leo had no choice but to follow him.

Mimas led Leo back towards where they came from, and then down a steep, black slope. They passed through an archway the size of the Athena Parthenos, and Leo's mouth dropped open.

They were in a workshop. One of the best workshops Leo had ever seen. It was enormous, bigger than the whole of Camp Half-Blood. There were cranes and towers and kilns and fires as big as houses. Swords, lances, spears, daggers, helmets and shields lined the walls. Ballistae and cannons sat in the corner, awaiting use. Every tool Leo could ever want sat on the work tables. Leo ran his hand over a crystal jar that contained Greek fire, before turning back to Mimas.

"This is all yours?"

"Yep," Mimas said, stroking one of the ballistae. "I make all of this. Gration wants me to use cyclopses, but they're no good. Well, in my opinion. Hephaestus loves to use them. Thinks of them as loveable pets. I see them as nothing more than soldiers to use in a fight."

"Huh." Leo didn't really agree with that. Tyson, Percy's half-brother, was awesome. In the rare moments that he was at camp, he'd work with Leo in the forges. He'd shown Leo how to make impossible trinkets and weapons, including a flaming sword (which Leo had somehow managed to blow up).

"We need to get to work," Mimas grumbled, moving over to one of the tables. "Pelorus wants another five hundred swords to equip the dracanae, and at least a thousand helmets for the centaurs. On my own, I can make half of that amount in three days. With you, we can do it faster. Let's get to work."


End file.
